Jerusalem – Ma’an – Members of the US Congress, Representatives Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) and Brian Baird (D-Washington) met with the Right Reverend Dr. Suheil S. Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem prior to their historic visit to Gaza.

Both Congressmen had been at Doha, Qatar for the “2009 US Islamic World Forum – Common Challenges,” where Bishop Suheil, a participant at the Forum, had invited them to visit him at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral when in Jerusalem.

Representative Ellison is the only Muslim in the US Congress. During the 70-minute meeting, Bishop Dawani briefed the two congressmen on the work and mission of the Diocese and its active involvement in Ecumenical and Interfaith endeavors in the five countries served by the Diocese since the inception of an Anglican Presence in the Holy City in 1841, a spokesperson said.